Ski binding element

ABSTRACT

Ski binding element supported for lengthwise adjustment on a ski. There is here provided a device for supporting a component of a ski binding such as the heel or toe component, which device is guided for movement by appropriate grooved means and is provided with longitudinally arranged adjustment teeth. A similarly toothed detent, engaging by its teeth the teeth of the longitudinally movable device, is received in a transverse recess and spring urged into holding position. Pressure on the detent against the spring disengages same and the device may be longitudinally adjusted as desired.

United States Patent 1191 Kratky [451 Oct. 21, 1975 SKI BINDING ELEMENT [75] Inventor: Ilelmut Kratky, Vienna, Austria [73] Assignee: Gertsch AG, Zug, Switzerland [22] Filed: May 20, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 471,239

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 25, 1973 Austria 4573/73 [52] U.S. Cl 280/1L35 R [51] Int. Cl. A63C 9/00 [58] Field of Search 2811/1135 T, 11.35 H,

280/11.35 Z, 11.35 C, 11.35 B, 11.35 E, 280/11.35 D, 11.35 A, 11.35 Y, 11.35 V, 280/11.35 R; 91310 AA Australia 280/11.35 Z Switzerland 280/11.35 T

[57] ABSTRACT Ski binding element supported for lengthwise adjustment on a ski. There is here provided a device for sup' porting a component of a ski binding such as the heel or toe component, which device is guided for movement by appropriate grooved means and is provided with longitudinally arranged adjustment teeth. A similarly toothed detent, engaging by its teeth the teeth of the longitudinally movable device, is received in a transverse recess and spring urged into holding position. Pressure on the detent against the spring disengages same and the device may be longitudinally adjusted as desired.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 1 SK] BINDING ELEMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a ski binding element which is movably supported on the ski and which can be locked in right or left directions with respect to the ski in multiple predetermined positions by means of a locking member which can be disengaged against a resilient force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Ski binding elements of the above-mentioned type are known in various embodiments. For example, Swiss Pat. No. 405,129 illustrates a carriage having teeth engaged by a spring held lock. The spring is here wound around a setscrew and the lock cooperates with the free end of the spring. The lock itself is pulled outwardly against the force of the spring and is held in the locked condition by engagement of the spring with the teeth of the carriage. The disadvantage of this known construction consists in that the teeth engage or disengage in steps in thus the release steps are relatively large.

A different construction is described in the German Auslegeschrift No. l l82 564. In this construction the locking member engages longitudinally the teeth of a toothed bar. A clamplike bent leaf spring supports the locking member. This apparatus also effects the locking or unlocking in vertical direction, however, with the disadvantage that same takes place in longitudinal direction. Accordingly here a relatively long path is necessary in the elevating direction, in order to achieve the desired effect. As is already known, the lack of space is particularly critical in such bindings so that such a solution, which is known in the case of tensioning devices, is not acceptable for heel automatics.

French Pat. No. 2 069 874 describes a locking system which can be unlocked from the locked condition in elevating direction by means of the ski pole. The locking member is flexible and engages with a single tooth the teeth provided on the guide plate. Since only one tooth element is provided as a holding member, this construction is in practice not acceptably effective. If several teeth are arranged in the longitudinal direction, then again the disadvantage already discussed above still exists.

Swiss Pat. No. 469 492 has as a locking element a springloaded eccentric pin. The pin can be rotated in its bearing by means of its head portion. The eccentricity of the pin is achieved by formation of a circular segmental cross section. If the pin lies with the circumference against the spring, then it can be moved along the rail. If, however, the straight surface of the pin lies against the spring, the locking is effected. This construction has the disadvantage that only one locking is provided and further that during movement of the locking member same repeatedly falls into the recesses of the teeth on the rail.

A different type of adjustment is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3 314 687 and in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2 044 786. In both constructions, holes are provided in the base plate, which holes can selectively receive a pin of the ski binding. Through a special construction of the base plate, the locking or unlocking is more complicated than in the above-mentioned types of construction.

Finally French Pat. No. 2 I23 966 discloses a construction in which the spring is arranged on the one side and the operating element on the other side of the binding. The guide element for the locking member consists substantially of a U-shaped bar, which is arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the ski. The teeth of the locking member engage holes which are provided on the side of the rail, which is undesirable in view if the danger of icing-up or plugging up with snow, dirt, etc. The spring which also acts with respect to such loads is, however, so strong that its storage requires much space or the operation of the locking member becomes difficult to carry out. Furthermore the cooperating portion of the rail must be of greater length along its sides than between the individual holes in order to be able to prevent the possibility of engagement by only one single tooth.

The goal of the invention is now to produce a ski binding element of the type mentioned above without the above-mentioned disadvantages. The inventive construction makes possible a simple handling, namely an unlocking, adjusting and relocking merely by one hand; it survives a faulty adjustment without the danger of icing-up, of contamination or the like; and achieves a secure hold without fatigue of the spring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This objective is achieved inventively by providing the rail with a trough which extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski, in which trough a leaf spring is advantageously arranged and secured by means of rivets, and the leaf spring acts upon the toothed detent which can engage or disengage the toothed plate.

Due to the fact that, according to the invention, a leaf spring is provided transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski for acting upon the detent, both for the locking condition and for the release condition, substantial advantages are achieved. If the toothed detent engages the toothed plate, that is, the ski binding is in a condition of use, then the springloaded forces act transversely to the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring. In this manner, the leaf spring, even when it is stressed to its maximum, is not stressed to fatigue. A further advantage of the inventive construction lies in that the release requires only one elevation position which corresponds to the material thickness of the toothed plate or of the detent. This situation permits again the use of a relatively strong spring, without causing an unfavorable use of space. Finally the inventive construction permits an engagement of a uniform number of teeth of the detent through which a secure hold is achieved.

An advantageous embodiment of the inventive ski binding element consists in providing in the stepping or support plate a recess into which for the purpose of longitudinal adjustment a suitable tool, for example a screwdriver, can be guided. By this advantageous embodiment, the detent can be pressed simply downwardly against the spring force, then the toothed plate, and thereby also the ski binding mounted on said toothed plate, can be moved on the rail into the desired position and can there again be fixed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The subject matter of the invention is illustrated exemplarily in one embodiment in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an inventive ski binding having longitudinal adjustment and FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line ll-ll of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As FIGS. 1 and 2 disclose, a rail 2 is secured on the ski l by interpositioning a stepping or support plate 3 by means of screws 4. A toothed plate 5 on which a notillustrated ski binding is mounted is movably held in the rail 2. The toothed plate 5 has at one of its longitudinal sides the teeth 5'. The teeth 5 are engaged by a detent 6 with its teeth 6'. The teeth 5 and 6' having an equilateral triangular shape as shown in FIG. I.

The rail 2 is provided with a trough 7, in which there is provided a leaf spring 9 secured by means of rivets. The leaf spring 9 acts upon the detent 6 to cause the teeth 6' of the detent 6 to engage the teeth 5' of the toothed plate 5.

The stepping or support plate 3 has a recess 10 into which for the purpose of longitudinal adjustment a suitable tool, for example a screwdriver, can be guided. During a longitudinal adjustment the detent 6 is thus pressed downwardly against the force of the leaf spring 9 in direction of the arrow 11, so that the teeth 6 of the detent disengage the teeth 5' of the toothed plate 5. Now the toothed plate 4 and therewith also the ski binding mounted thereon can be moved on the rail 2 into the desired position and can be there again fixed.

The invention is not limited to the described embodiment. Various possibilities of construction exist which will be within the scope of the invention. Thus for example the leaf spring can be secured in the trough or the detent can be secured with the spring in various ways other than by rivets. Since the engagement or disengagement of the detent with the toothed plate occurs in elevating direction, the teeth can also be constructed differently than this is illustrated in the drawing. For example the teeth of the toothed plate and of the detent can engage deeper. It is also possible to use any desired different, conventional teeth. Also the recess of the stepping or support plate can be constructed differently, for example the stepping or support plate can have in this area a lateral extension for supporting or introducing the adjusting tool.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications thereof which lie within the scope of the appended claims are fully contemplated.

the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A device for changing the longitudinal position of a binding on a ski, comprising:

a support plate having a flat surface thereon engaging the upper surface of said ski, said support plate having a pair of horizontally spaced and elongated ribs thereon projecting upwardly from said upper surface of said ski and extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ski;

an elongated rail mounted on said support plate between said elongated ribs, said rail including a bottom member, a pair of upstanding side members engaging and extending generally parallel to said ribs and an inwardly projecting flange on the upper end of each of said upstanding side members to thereby define a trough therebetween;

securing means for securing said support plate and said elongated rail to said ski; means defining aligned cut-outs in both of said support plate and said elongated rail; a flat leaf spring secured to said bottom member, the plane of said flat leaf spring being generally parallel to the plane of an interface between said support plate and said ski, the longitudinal centerline of said flat leaf spring being contained in a vertical plane through the center of said aligned cut-out means, said flat leaf spring extending across the width of said bottom member and into said cut-out means; binding mounting plate having a plurality of teeth along one edge thereof slidingly mounted in said trough and above said bottom member and for movement only in a direction parallel to said upstanding side members, the side of said binding mounting plate having the teeth thereon extending into said cut-out means and the bottom surface of said binding mounting plate adjacent said side having said teeth thereon being parallel with the upper surface of said flat leaf spring; and

flat detent member having teeth on one edge thereof engaging the teeth on said binding mounting plate, said detent member being secured to said flat leaf spring adjacent an end thereof and on the upper side thereof, the plane of said flat detent member being coplanar with the plane of said binding mounting plate having said teeth on an edge thereof, said flat detent member being movable vertically in said cut-out means so that said teeth thereon are moved out of and into engagement with said teeth on said binding mounting plate to facilitate said sliding movement of said binding mounting plate in said trough.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said support plate has means defining a recess therein above and overlapping said flat detent member communicating with said cut-out means, said recess means being adapted to receive a suitable tool, for example a screwdriver, therein so that said flat detent member can be pried downwardly against the return spring force of said flat leaf spring.

3. A device for changing the longitudinal position of a binding on a ski, comprising:

an elongated rail mounted on the upper surface of said ski, said rail including a bottom member, a pair of upstanding side members and an inwardly projecting flange on the upper end of each of said upstanding side members to thereby define a trough therebetween;

securing means for securing said elongated rail to said ski;

means defining a cut-out in at least one of said upstanding side members of said elongated rail;

a flat leaf spring secured to said bottom member, the plane of said flat leaf spring being generally parallel to the plane of an interface between said rail and said ski, the longitudinal centerline of said flat leaf spring being contained in a vertical plane through the center of said cut-out means, said flat leaf spring extending across the width of said bottom member and into said cut-out means;

a binding mounting plate having a plurality of teeth along one edge thereof slidingly mounted in said trough and above said bottom member and for movement only in a direction parallel to said upstanding side members, the side of said binding mounting plate having the teeth thereon extending into said cut-out means and the bottom surface of said binding mounting plate adjacent said side hav- 5 ing said teeth thereon being parallel with the upper surface of said flat leaf spring; and

flat detent member having teeth on one edge thereof engaging the teeth on said binding mounting plate, said detent member being secured to said flat leaf spring adjacent an end thereof and on the upper side thereof, the plane of said flat detent member being coplanar with the plane of said binding mounting plate having said teeth on an edge thereof, said flat detent member being movable vertically in said cut-out means so that said teeth thereon are moved out of and into engagement with said teeth on said binding mounting plate to facilitate said sliding movement of said binding mounting plate in said trough.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said teeth on said binding mounting plate and said flat detent member are small and pointed, each tooth having an equilateral triangular shape.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein said cutout means includes means for limiting an upward movement of said flat detent member and permitting only a downward movement relative to said binding mounting plate. 

1. A device for changing the longitudinal position of a binding on a ski, comprising: a support plate having a flat surface thereon engaging the upper surface of said ski, said support plate having a pair of horizontally spaced and elongated ribs thereon projecting upwardly from said upper surface of said ski and extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of said ski; an elongated rail mounted on said support plate between said elongated ribs, said rail including a bottom member, a pair of upstanding side members engaging and extending generally parallel to said ribs and an inwardly projecting flange on the upper end of each of said upstanding side members to thereby define a trough therebetween; securing means for securing said support plate and said elongated rail to said ski; means defining aligned cut-outs in both of said support plate and said elongated rail; a flat leaf spring secured to said bottom member, the plane of said flat leaf spring being generally parallel to the plane of an interface between said support plate and said ski, the longitudinal centerline of said flat leaf spring being contained in a vertical plane through the center of said aligned cut-out means, said flat leaf spring extending across the width of said bottom member and into said cut-out means; a binding mounting plate having a pLurality of teeth along one edge thereof slidingly mounted in said trough and above said bottom member and for movement only in a direction parallel to said upstanding side members, the side of said binding mounting plate having the teeth thereon extending into said cut-out means and the bottom surface of said binding mounting plate adjacent said side having said teeth thereon being parallel with the upper surface of said flat leaf spring; and a flat detent member having teeth on one edge thereof engaging the teeth on said binding mounting plate, said detent member being secured to said flat leaf spring adjacent an end thereof and on the upper side thereof, the plane of said flat detent member being coplanar with the plane of said binding mounting plate having said teeth on an edge thereof, said flat detent member being movable vertically in said cut-out means so that said teeth thereon are moved out of and into engagement with said teeth on said binding mounting plate to facilitate said sliding movement of said binding mounting plate in said trough.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said support plate has means defining a recess therein above and overlapping said flat detent member communicating with said cut-out means, said recess means being adapted to receive a suitable tool, for example a screwdriver, therein so that said flat detent member can be pried downwardly against the return spring force of said flat leaf spring.
 3. A device for changing the longitudinal position of a binding on a ski, comprising: an elongated rail mounted on the upper surface of said ski, said rail including a bottom member, a pair of upstanding side members and an inwardly projecting flange on the upper end of each of said upstanding side members to thereby define a trough therebetween; securing means for securing said elongated rail to said ski; means defining a cut-out in at least one of said upstanding side members of said elongated rail; a flat leaf spring secured to said bottom member, the plane of said flat leaf spring being generally parallel to the plane of an interface between said rail and said ski, the longitudinal centerline of said flat leaf spring being contained in a vertical plane through the center of said cut-out means, said flat leaf spring extending across the width of said bottom member and into said cut-out means; a binding mounting plate having a plurality of teeth along one edge thereof slidingly mounted in said trough and above said bottom member and for movement only in a direction parallel to said upstanding side members, the side of said binding mounting plate having the teeth thereon extending into said cut-out means and the bottom surface of said binding mounting plate adjacent said side having said teeth thereon being parallel with the upper surface of said flat leaf spring; and a flat detent member having teeth on one edge thereof engaging the teeth on said binding mounting plate, said detent member being secured to said flat leaf spring adjacent an end thereof and on the upper side thereof, the plane of said flat detent member being coplanar with the plane of said binding mounting plate having said teeth on an edge thereof, said flat detent member being movable vertically in said cut-out means so that said teeth thereon are moved out of and into engagement with said teeth on said binding mounting plate to facilitate said sliding movement of said binding mounting plate in said trough.
 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said teeth on said binding mounting plate and said flat detent member are small and pointed, each tooth having an equilateral triangular shape.
 5. The device according to claim 3, wherein said cut-out means includes means for limiting an upward movement of said flat detent member and permitting only a downward movement relative to said binding mounting plate. 